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Martin Scorsese to be Presented the First Annual Robert Osborne Award

TCM is proud to honor our late host, Robert Osborne, with the creation of the Robert Osborne Award. This annual award will be presented at the TCM Classic Film Festival to an individual whose work has helped keep the cultural heritage of classic films alive and thriving for generations to come. For the inaugural award, TCM will celebrate world-renowned filmmaker director Martin Scorsese and his longtime dedication to preserving and protecting motion picture history at the ninth annual Festival.

New Books

Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II

By Robert Matzen

The story of one of the most enduring and beloved stars Hollywood has ever produced--Audrey Hepburn--has been told again and again since her passing in 1993. An Amazon search of books with her name will produce well over a thousand titles, with every aspect of her life but one covered in print: her years during World War II when she lived in the Netherlands under Nazi rule.

On April 15, 2019--just weeks before what would've been her 90th birthday--critically acclaimed and bestselling biographer Robert Matzen reveals the true war story of this cinematic icon. The book, as shocking as it is vital and triumphant, is Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II [GoodKnight Books].
The culmination of years of painstaking research by Matzen--who conducted new interviews with people who knew Audrey Hepburn in the Netherlands, unearthed secret diaries, gained access to previously classified archives, and combed through decades of her own infrequent but revealing reminiscences in interviews--Dutch Girl contains substantive proof of holes, errors, and inventions in every previous Audrey Hepburn biography that's touched on her life during the war years. In fact, the real story is more incredible than anything presented by previous biographers.

From debunking the mythology of Hepburn's lineage (did the wealthy van Heemstras actually have their money stolen by the Nazis?) to revealing the extent of her involvement with the Dutch Resistance and an active role tending wounded of the famed "Bridge Too Far" battle of Arnhem, Dutch Girl is a definitive biography that exposes an extraordinary story of courage, tragedy, perseverance, and triumph--and contributes immeasurably to the legacy of one of the world's most famous actresses, fashion icons, and humanitarians.

Dutch Girl has been called a "true gift" by Hepburn's younger son, Luca Dotti, who has written a powerful foreword to the book that speaks to the lock-and-key under which this information had been kept in Audrey's heart, writing:
"When my mother talked about herself and what life taught her, Hollywood was the missing guest. Instead of naming famed Beverly Hills locations, she gave us obscure and sometimes unpronounceable Dutch ones. Red carpet recollections were replaced by Second World War episodes that she was able to transform into children's tales. We knew we were missing the complete story of her life in the war--until Robert Matzen wrote to me introducing himself and his book, Dutch Girl. I now understand why the words Good and Evil, and Love and Mercy were so fundamental in her own narrative. Why she was open about certain facts and why she kept so many others in a secluded area of her being. Thank you, Robert Matzen."

The third and final book in Matzen's 'Hollywood in WWII' Trilogy -- which includes the award-winning 2013 book Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 and 2016 bestseller Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for World War II--Dutch Girl is a not-to-be-missed spring 2019 release. Among the topics explored and new information revealed in it includes:

--The riveting, untold story of a young Dutch ballerina in World War II who went on to become an Academy Award winning movie star, timeless fashion icon, and tireless UNICEF ambassador who devoted her life to fighting for the welfare of children in war-torn territories
--Brand-new verified information about the van Heemstra family, including brutal executions of Audrey Hepburn's relatives by the Nazis and other direct family members deeply involved in the rise of fascism in Europe
--Audrey Hepburn's active role in the Dutch Resistance and details about her daily life in Velp when the war "came home" and the village was under fire for seven months
--Never-before-seen photographs, documents, and mementos provided by Audrey Hepburn's son, Luca Dotti, informing Matzen's research and shared in a full-color and black-and-white 24-page photo section

Robert Matzen has gained a reputation as one of today's top authors in popular biography; for his latest book, Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, he lived in Audrey Hepburn's footsteps in the Netherlands, interviewed many who knew her, and dug deep into Dutch archives to uncover secret information, resulting in a eye-opening look into the hidden past of an icon. Dutch Girl is Matzen's eighth book and the third and final installment in his 'Hollywood in World War II' trilogy, with previous releases including the award-winning and critically acclaimed titles Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 [2013] and Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe [2016]. Regularly appearing ininternational press, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Hollywood Reporter, and PBS, Matzen's previous print work includes many articles about classic films and he maintains a popular blog at https://robertmatzen.com/blog/

Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II [GoodKnight Books] will be available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook formats on April 15, 2019 wherever books are sold.

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A Star is Born: Judy Garland and the Film that Got Away

By Lorna Luft and Jeffrey Vance

New York Times bestselling author and daughter of Judy Garland tells the story of A Star Is Born (1954) -- at once the crowning achievement and greatest disappointment in her mother's legendary career. This is a vivid account of a film classic's production, loss, and reclamation.

A Star Is Born -- the classic Hollywood tale about a young talent rising to superstardom, and the downfall of her mentor/lover along the way -- has never gone out of style. It has seen five film adaptations, but none compares to the 1954 version starring Judy Garland in her greatest role. But while it was the crowning performance of the legendary entertainer's career, the production turned into one of the most talked about in movie history.

The story, which depicts the dark side of fame, addiction, loss, and suicide, paralleled Garland's own tumultuous life in many ways. While hitting alarmingly close to home for the fragile star, it ultimately led to a superlative performance -- one that was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost in one of the biggest upsets in Oscar® history. Running far too long for the studio's tastes, Warner Bros. notoriously slashed extensive amounts of footage from the finished print, leaving A Star is Born in tatters and breaking the heart of both the film's star and director George Cukor.

Today, with a director's cut reconstructed from previously lost scenes and audio, the 1954 A Star is Born has taken its deserved place among the most critically acclaimed movies of all time, and continues to inspire each new generation that discovers it. Now, Lorna Luft, daughter of Judy Garland and the film's producer, Sid Luft, tells the story of the production, and of her mother's fight to save her career, as only she could. Teaming with film historian Jeffrey Vance, A Star Is Born is a vivid and refreshingly candid account of the crafting, loss, and restoration of a movie classic, complemented by a trove of images from the family collection taken both on and off the set. The book also includes essays on the other screen adaptations of A Star Is Born, to round out a complete history of a story that has remained a Hollywood favorite for close to a century.

Lorna Luft is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sid Luft. She is the author of the bestselling book Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir (Pocket Books, 1998). After making her television debut on her mother's 1963 Christmas special, Luft embarked on her own career as a singer and actress on the stage, film, and TV. She has performed on and off Broadway in Lolita, and Promises, Promises; in national tours of Grease and Guys and Dolls; at the Rainbow Room, the Hollywood Bowl, and the White House. Luft lives in Palm Springs, CA.

Jeffrey Vance is a film historian, author, and producer. His books include Douglas Fairbanks (UC Press, 2008) and a trilogy of volumes published by Abrams on comedy legends: Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema (2003), Harold Lloyd: Master Comedian (2002), and Buster Keaton Remembered (2001). Vance lives in Los Angeles, CA.

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The Girl on the Balcony - Memoir by Olivia Hussey

By Olivia Hussey

Olivia Hussey, forever immortalized as the definitive Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, provides readers with a captivating look inside her life in Hollywood through her remarkable, and sometimes tumultuous, career and personal life.

Born in Argentina, Hussey, at the young age of 15, was cast in the role of a life-time by acclaimed director Franco Zeffirelli. With the international spotlight thrust upon her, stardom proved to be the more challenging part for her to conquer.

Her candid memoir--written with her son, Alexander Martin, child of Dean Paul (Dino) Martin and grandchild of Dean Martin--takes readers on an emotional journey through her many challenges and blessings. Highlights include her experience as an "It Girl" in swinging 1960s London; her enduring friendship with her Romeo and Juliet co-star, Leonard Whiting; three tumultuous marriages; her inspirational fight through stage-four breast cancer; debilitating agoraphobia; bankruptcy; and ultimately a journey of self-discovery in India that led her on a path to fulfillment.

Her stories take readers up close to the age-defining figures she knew well--The Beatles, Vanessa Redgrave, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Anthony Perkins, Christopher Reeve, Sir Laurence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman and more--revealing intimate details, startling facts and bizarre coincidences. Hussey also reveals, for the first time, the identity of the actor and fellow newcomer who raped her but would not break her.

"My mother has lived a remarkable life. Growing up, I saw, first hand, the slings and arrows of her daily life, but I was aware there was so much more to know. So, we began to talk," said Alexander Martin, co-author of The Girl on the Balcony. "Through our two-year conversation, I was able to piece together her extraordinary story. I came to understand her and, ultimately, to admire her. It was so moving."

"Writing this memoir with my talented son has been one of my greatest joys," said Olivia Hussey. "Putting my story on paper required the perfect partner and Alexander exceeded my expectations."

Olivia Hussey
At 15 years old, Olivia Hussey made her undeniable mark in modern-day cinema as Juliet--one of the most celebrated roles ever written. A seasoned veteran of the London stage, Hussey debuted opposite Vanessa Redgrave in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. She has appeared in more than two dozen films, including Death on the Nile with Bette Davis and Peter Ustinov; Jesus of Nazareth (where she reunited with Zeffirelli); The Last Days of Pompeii, opposite Sir Laurence Olivier; Lost Horizon; The Bastard; Hallmark Hall of Fame's Ivanhoe with James Mason; Showtime's Psycho IV: The Beginning and Steven King's IT.
Visit Olivia online at www.OliviaHussey.com

Alexander Martin grew up in Los Angeles, California. After attending the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama in London, England, he returned to Los Angeles with the intention of taking up the family business. Working as both an actor and writer, he appeared in the films Can't Hardly Wait, 21, Three Priests, and Josie and the Pussycats. A little over two years ago, while he was beginning work on his first book, his mother called and asked if he would help her with her memoir--it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. He now lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico with his wife and son.

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Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies That Are Out of This World

Spanning nine decades and branded by the most trusted authority on film, Turner Classic Movies: Must-See Sci-Fi showcases 50 of the most shocking, weird, wonderful, and mind-bending movies ever made.

From A Trip to the Moon (1902) to Arrival (2016), science fiction cinema has produced a body of classics with a broader range of styles, stories, and subject matter than perhaps any other film genre. They are movies that embed themselves in the depths of the mind, coloring our view of day-to-day reality and probably fueling a few dreams (and nightmares) along the way.

In Turner Classic Movies: Must-See Sci-Fi, fifty unforgettable films are profiled, including beloved favorites like The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Fantastic Voyage (1966), groundbreaking shockers like Planet of the Apes (1968) and Alien (1979), and lesser-known landmarks like Things to Come (1936) and Solaris (1972). Illustrated by astounding color and black-and-white images, the book presents the best of this mind-bending genre, detailing through insightful commentary and behind-the-scenes stories why each film remains essential viewing. A perfect gift for any film buff or sci-fi fanatic!

Sloan De Forest is a writer, actor, and film historian who has written about film for Sony, Time Warner Cable, the Mary Pickford Foundation, and Bright Lights Film Journal. She has contributed essays to the books Natalie Wood: Reflections on a Legendary Life by Manoah Bowman and Grace Kelly: Hollywood Dream Girl by Jay Jorgensen and Manoah Bowman. She lives in Hollywood-mentally, spiritually, and geographically.

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DVD Reviews

Dick Dinman & George Feltenstein Survive THE LAST HUNT

DICK DINMAN & GEORGE FELTENSTEIN SURVIVE "THE LAST HUNT"! : Robert Taylor takes no prisoners in his superbly conceived, savage and rivetingly intense performance of a lifetime in writer/director Richard Brooks' starkly effective western drama THE LAST HUNT and Warner Home Video's popular and engaging Senior Vice President of Classic and Theatrical Marketing George Feltenstein joins producer/host Dick Dinman as both celebrate the astonishingly gorgeous Blu-ray release of this powerful film classic.

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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Dick Dinman Salutes Criterion's DIETRICH & VON STERNBERG IN HOLLYWOOD

DICK DINMAN SALUTES CRITERION'S "DIETRICH & Von STERNBERG IN HOLLYWOOD" COLLECTION (Part One): Classic film fans of the erotically exotic Paramount Pictures collaborations of star Marlene Dietrich and director/photographer Josef Von Sternberg are over the moon about the Criterion Collection's brilliant restorations of all six of their hotblooded and aggressively seductive cinema masterworks together which are supplemented by a phenomenal array of special features and acclaimed writer and film scholar Imogen Sara Smith joins producer/host Dick Dinman as both marvel at the unparalleled depth and scope of this amazing collection.
PLUS: "DICK'S PICKS" are Criterion's KING OF JAZZ, MOONRISE, THE AWFUL TRUTH, and A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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Dick Dinman & George Feltenstein are GUN CRAZY!

DICK DINMAN & GEORGE FELTENSTEIN ARE "GUN CRAZY!": Producer/host Dick Dinman and Warner Home Video's Sr. V.P. of Classic & Theatrical Marketing George Feltenstein salute the Blu-ray debut of the certifiable noir masterwork GUN CRAZY as well as the Blu-ray debuts of LES GIRLS (Gene Kelly's final MGM dance delight), Sergio Leone's spectacular THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES and two drastically different Vincente Minnelli CinemaScope and color triumphs: the delightful comedy DESIGNING WOMAN and the intensely dramatic TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN.

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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DICK DINMAN & GEORGE FELTENSTEIN SALUTE "7 BRIDES FOR 7 BROTHERS" BLU-RAY DEBUT!: For more than a decade passionate fans of the joyous Oscar-winning once-in-a-lifetime musical classic 7 BRIDES FOR 7 BROTHERS have been waiting for the day when this incomparably original and unique certified masterwork would make it's debut on 1080p Blu-ray. Well, fans, that day has finally arrived and your producer/host Dick Dinman and his frequent guest Warner Home Video Sr. V.P. of Classic & Theatrical Marketing George Feltenstein celebrate this momentous occasion while George explains the herculean challenges and obstacles he and his dedicated staff faced in ultimately bringing this happiest of all cinema classics to Blu-ray fruition.

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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Dick Dinman Salutes the Scott/Boetticher Blu-ray Collection!

DICK DINMAN SALUTES THE SCOTT/BOETTICHER BLU-RAY COLLECTION: British home video label Indicator/Powerhouse has just released FIVE TALL TALES: BUDD BOETTICHER & RANDOLPH SCOTT AT COLUMBIA BLU-RAY COLLECTION and to celebrate this long-awaited occasion legendary western star Randolph Scott is saluted along with the director of seven of Scott's finest cinema classics Budd Boetticher. Dick Dinman's guests are Michael Dante who costarred with Scott in a Boetticher directed western and has some great stories to tell, as well as Senior Vice President In Charge Of Restoration for Sony Pictures Entertainment Grover Crisp who describes the arduous and time-consuming process it took to bring the Scott-Boetticher cinema milestones to home video.

The award-winning DICK DINMAN'S DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR is the only show devoted to Golden Age Movie Classics as they become available on DVD and Blu-ray. Your producer/host Dick Dinman includes a generous selection of classic scenes, classic film music and one-on-one interviews with stars, producers, and directors. To hear these as well as other DVD CLASSICS CORNER ON THE AIR shows please go to www.dvdclassicscorner.com or www.dvdclassicscorner.net.

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Press Release

Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha Screens BACK TO THE FUTURE!

Motion Picture Historian Crawford Bringing the time travel/comedy to Omaha

Film historian Bruce Crawford will be presenting the 1985 classic Back to the Future on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 at Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge Street in Omaha. It has become one of the most popular adventure comedies in cinema history and spawned three sequels as well as comic books, video games and much more.

In addition to the special event screening, writer, producer and co-creator of all three Back to the Future films, Bob Gale, will address the audience as well as actor Harry Waters Jr., who played singer Marvin Berry in the film--both will speak before the screening discussing the making of this iconic film. There will also be a meet-and-greet and autograph session for the fans.

This event marks 26 years since Crawford started hosting film legends and the classic films on which they worked. He typically presents two movies each year, spring and autumn.

Tickets to meet and hear Bob Gale and Harry Waters Jr. go on sale Thursday, Oct. 4 for $24 each and can be purchased at the customer service counters of all Omaha-area Hy Vee food stores. Proceeds will benefit the Nebraska Kidney Association.

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Web Reviewer Glenn Erickson Launches 'CineSavant'

Web reviewer Glenn Erickson, aka 'DVD Savant' has established a new home under a new identity, 'CineSavant.' Reviewing independently since 1998, the Savant database has grown to over five thousand reviews and articles, and become one of the most respected and sought-out review pages on the web for news and opinions about classic films on disc. Readership boomed when the page Trailers from Hell picked up Glenn's reviews as featured content in 2015.

A varied background helps add perspective to Glenn's reviews; from the UCLA Film School he worked in special effects, and then moved on to TV commercial work, and trailers for The Cannon Group. A long stint with MGM/UA Home Video led to editing large-scale DVD extras and other special projects. He began writing for the web in 1997 as 'MGM Video Savant.' Working with the film curators at MGM, Glenn helped detect and produced the restoration of the original ending of the film noir classic Kiss Me Deadly. Glenn has published two books of reviews, and has been writing and researching for TCM since 2004.

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TCM Remembers Neil Simon (1927-2018)

Turner Classic Movies pays tribute to Neil Simon on Friday, September 14 with the following festival of films. This program will replace the previously scheduled movies for that night so please take note.

The new schedule for Friday, September 14 will be:8:00pm - The Odd Couple (1968)
10:00pm - The Goodbye Girl (1977)
12:00am - Lost in Yonkers (1993)

Neil Simon passed away on Sunday, August 26 in New York City at the age of 91.

A staff writer on the signature comedy series of television's infancy, "Your Show of Shows" (NBC, 1950-54), Neil Simon went on to establish himself as one of Broadway's most prolific and consistent hit makers. Over the course of four decades, a Simon play or musical opened most seasons on Broadway and were often turned into major motion pictures within a couple of years, including "Barefoot in the Park" (1967), "The Out-of-Towners" (1969), "The Sunshine Boys" (1975) and "California Suite" (1978). Simon also wrote his share of original screenplays, such as the mystery spoof "Murder By Death" (1976) and the charming romantic comedy "Seems Like Old Times" (1980), though it was largely his stage work that earned him his reputation. Perhaps his most enduring creation was "The Odd Couple," which was a play in 1965, a film in 1968 and a television show that ran five seasons starting in 1970, while over the decades popping up in other incarnations. In the 1980s, Simon began a series of semi-autobiographical coming-of-age plays focused on his alleged alter-ego, Eugene Jerome. Dubbed the Eugene Trilogy, the plays consisted of "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1983), "Biloxi Blues" (1985) and "Broadway Bound" (1986), with the former two being turned into mildly successful feature films. After years as an unbridled hit maker, Simon earned the overwhelming respect of critics with "Lost in Yonkers" (1991), which earned him a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for drama. Though his success tapered off in his later years, Simon remained the most important playwright of the latter-half of the 20th century.

Born on July 4, 1927 in The Bronx, NY, Simon was raised in Depression-era Washington Heights in northern Manhattan by his father, Irving, a garment salesman, and his mother, Mamie. Because his parents were engaged in a rocky relationship that often threatened to break apart, Simon and his older brother, Danny, were sent to live with one group of relatives or another. His father often left the family for long periods of time, leaving their mother to fend for herself until his return. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School when he was 16, Simon attended New York University, where he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force Reserve during the waning days of World War II, which led to an assignment at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, CO, where, as a corporal, he began writing for the USAF sports paper, the Rev-Meter. Following a short stint at the University of Denver, Simon moved back to New York, where he spent two years working in the mailroom of the East Coast Warner Bros. offices before quitting to write radio and television scripts with his brother, Danny.

Simon and his brother managed to wrangle an interview with radio comic, Goodman Ace, who hired the sketch writing duo for $200 a week after reading just one of their jokes. Simon partnered with his brother for the next nine years, with the two writing for such radio programs as "The Robert Q. Lewis Show." They soon moved on to television to write for the day's biggest shows, including "The Red Buttons Show" (CBS/NBC, 1952-55), "The Phil Rivers Show" (CBS, 1955-59), and "Your Show of Shows" (NBC, 1950-54), which starred Sid Caesar and featured perhaps the best group of comics ever assembled: Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Carl Reiner and Larry Gelbart. Following his entrée into the theater world with the Broadway revue, "Catch a Star" (1955), which he collaborated on with Danny, he became a staff writer on the sitcom, "Stanley" (NBC, 1956-57), which starred Buddy Hackett as the slovenly proprietor of a hotel lobby newsstand. Eventually, Simon struck out on his own when he wrote his first play, "Come Blow Your Horn" (1961), which told the story of a young man who yearns to leave his parents' home to live at his brother's swinging bachelor pad.

"Come Blow Your Horn" opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran for two years and became a big hit. Simon followed with "Little Me" (1962), which, while not as well-received as his first play, still earned the playwright his first Tony Award nomination. After "Come Blow Your Horn" was adapted in 1963 into a feature film starring Frank Sinatra, Simon had one of the biggest stage hits of his career with "Barefoot in the Park" (1963), a lighthearted comedy focusing on the marriage between a buttoned-down lawyer husband and his free-spirited wife that played on Broadway for over 1,500 performances, making it one of the longest-running non-musicals in the history of the Great White Way. The play was turned into a successful 1967 film starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Meanwhile, his brother had gone through a divorce and was living with another divorced man, which sparked the idea for what eventually became "The Odd Couple" (1965). After several attempts to write the idea, Danny threw the idea over to Simon, who turned the comedy about a freakishly neat newspaper writer thrown out by his wife and forced to move in with a slovenly sportswriter into a Broadway smash that ran for over 900 performances and earned several Tony Awards, including Best Play.

As with many of Simon's plays, "The Odd Couple" was adapted for the big screen in 1968, and starred Jack Lemmon as the fastidious Felix Unger and Walter Matthau, reprising his original Broadway role, as the slob Oscar Madison. Possibly one of the best feature adaptations of his stage work, the highly successful movie earned several award nominations, including Simon's first for an Academy Award. During this time, he churned out stage plays like "The Star-Spangled Girl" (1966), "Plaza Suite" (1968) and "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (1969), which continued his string of critical and financial hits. The following year, "The Odd Couple" was spun off to the small screen, where it spent five seasons on ABC with Tony Randall as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar. Meanwhile, he wrote the play to perhaps his second-best remembered stage production, "The Sunshine Boys" (1972), which focused on two aging vaudevillians forced back together after growing to hate each other for a television reunion. Following another Tony Award win for Best Play, the production was adapted into a critically acclaimed 1975 film starring Walter Matthau and George Burns; the latter of whom won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

With his career at an all-time high, there seemed to be nothing that could bring Simon down. But in 1973, his wife of 20 years, Joan Baim, died after a prolonged battle with cancer. The agonizing 15 months of watching his wife slowly slip away left the playwright empty and devastated. Four months later, however, Simon shocked friends and colleagues when he married actress Marsha Mason following a brief courtship. He continued writing successful plays like "The Good Doctor" (1973), "California Suite" (1976) and "Chapter Two" (1977) while scripting original screenplays like "Murder By Death" (1976), a spoof on whodunit mysteries that featured Truman Capote as a wealthy recluse named Lionel Twain, who lures top private detectives (an all-star cast of Peter Sellers, Peter Falk, David Niven, Maggie Smith and James Coco) to his secluded mansion to solve a murder that's about to be committed. He next wrote the original screenplay for "The Goodbye Girl" (1977), an adult romantic comedy about a divorced mother and ex-Broadway dancer (Marsha Mason) engaged in a romance with an arrogant actor (Richard Dreyfuss) whose career is nearly ruined by a myopic director (Paul Benedict). Dreyfuss went on to win the Best Actor Oscar for his winning, wacky performance.

Returning to adaptations of his own work, Simon wrote the scripts for the screen treatments of "California Suite" (1978) and "Chapter Two" (1979), while writing the script for the comedy spoof "The Cheap Detective" (1978), starring Peter Falk, the book for the musical "They're Playing Our Song" (1979), and the stage play for "I Ought to Be in Pictures" (1980), which he turned into a feature starring Walter Matthau and Ann-Margaret in 1982. Simon next wrote the original screenplay for the feature comedy, "Seems Like Old Times" (1980), which starred Chevy Chase as a down-on-his-luck writer who seeks refuge from a pair of bank robbers at the home of his ex-wife (Goldie Hawn), only to run afoul of her new stuffed-shirt husband (Charles Grodin). Following his lighthearted romantic comedy, "Fools" (1981), which was directed for Broadway by longtime collaborator Mike Nichols, Simon adapted his play "The Gingerbread Lady" (1970) into the film "Only When I Laugh" (1981), which again starred wife Marsha Mason. Simon next wrote the play to "Brighton Beach Memoires" (1983), a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age comedy about a young Jewish teenager who experiences puberty and has a sexual awakening while trying to deal with his struggling family. The play was turned into a mildly popular film in 1986 starring Jonathan Silverman as Simon's alter-ego, Eugene Jerome.

Simon returned to the stage with the more popular "Biloxi Blues" (1985), the second installment to what became known as the Eugene Trilogy. This time, the young Jewish kid from Brooklyn enlists in the Army and is sent to Biloxi, MS for basic training, where he falls in love, loses his virginity and runs afoul of an offbeat drill sergeant. In 1988, the play was adapted into a well-received film starring Matthew Broderick as Eugene and Christopher Walken as Sgt. Toomey. In 1983, Simon suffered another personal setback - albeit one not as tragic as losing Joan - when he divorced actress Marsha Mason following 10 years of marriage. Despite the split, the two remained friends and continued working together. Meanwhile, he reimagined "The Odd Couple" as "The Female Odd Couple" (1985), which was staged on Broadway with Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno in the leads. Simon rounded out his Eugene Trilogy with "Broadway Bound" (1986), which followed Eugene and his brother Stanley - obvious doubles for Simon and his own brother Danny - as they try to make it as comedy writers on radio and television. Unlike the previous two installments, however, "Broadway Bound" was not immediately adapted into a feature film or even television movie - the rare Simon play not to make such a transformation.

During this time, Simon remarried once again, this time to Diane Lander, a former employee at the Beverly Hills department store, Neiman Marcus. Their relationship proved to be a rocky one, ending in divorce in 1988 following 18 months of marriage, only to reunite in early 1990. Though they again filed for divorce two years later, the couple reconciled until finally splitting for good in 1998. Though asked on several occasions, Simon had been remiss to talk about his relationship with her; even going so far as to not draw from their experiences in his work - a shock given his mining of all other areas of his life. Meanwhile, he wrote the farce "Rumors" (1988) for the stage before achieving massive popular and critical success with "Lost in Yonkers" (1991), a coming-of-age drama about two brothers left in the care of their intimidating grandmother who also houses the mentally deficient, but good-hearted Aunt Bella (Mercedes Ruehl). Simon's difficult tale of family dysfunction won several awards, including a Tony for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. After returning to the world of "Your Show of Shows" for a Broadway production of "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" (1993), he cited the high cost of producing plays on the Great White Way, controversially insisting that "London Suite" (1994) be produced off-Broadway.

After penning a television version of his 1992 play "Jake's Women" (CBS, 1996), Simon wrote his 30th stage production, "Proposals" (1997), which opened on Broadway, but quickly closed, proving to be one of his least successful stage efforts. On the flip side, a revival of "The Sunshine Boys" enjoyed a much longer run thanks to the popularity of stars Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. Meanwhile, Simon's feature output fell off following the box-office failure of "The Marrying Man" (1991) and "Neil Simon's 'Lost in Yonkers'" (1993), causing the writer to turn to the small screen with "Neil Simon's 'London Suite'" (NBC, 1996), with a cast that included Kelsey Grammer, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Richard Mulligan, and a misguided "The Sunshine Boys" (CBS, 1997), which was filmed in 1995 with Peter Falk and Woody Allen. His return to the big screen with the sequel "The Odd Couple II" (1998) sank at the box office despite the presence of the original actors, Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Later that year, a remake of "The-Out-of-Towners" (1998), starred Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn in the roles originated in 1970 by Lemmon and Sandy Dennis.

Turning to the publishing world, Simon wrote his memoirs in two parts, starting with Neil Simon Writes: A Memoir (1996); he followed with part two a few years later, Neil Simon The Play Goes On: A Memoir (1999). In his later years, Simon's stage work also began taking a hit with critics, though he found mild success with "The Dinner Party" (2000), starring John Ritter and Henry Winkler. After "45 Seconds from Broadway" (2001), which lasted just a few months, he revamped his two most famous characters for "Oscar and Felix: A New Look at the Odd Couple" (2002), which starred John Larroquette as Oscar and Joe Regalbuto as Felix, followed by his staging of "Rose's Dilemma" (2003) off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Also later in his career, his plays found new life on television with "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" (Showtime, 2001) and "The Goodbye Girl" (TNT, 2004) being adapted for the small screen.

(Biographical data courtesy of TCMDb)

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Hammer Horror: A Frankenstein Septet at MoMA in New York, Oct. 12-18

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, published in 1818, has inspired hundreds of films; in 1910 Thomas Edison produced the first cinematic version in his Bronx studio, starring Charles Stanton Ogle as the monster. Hollywood audiences fell in love with Frankenstein after the 1931 Universal Pictures version, featuring Boris Karloff's iconic block-headed, neck-bolted creature and the hysterical doctor's spectacular laboratory of tesla coils and steam-spewing equipment, all in glorious black and white.

In 1957, the British production company Hammer Films produced the first of its seven Frankenstein films, which focused more on the Gothic aspects of the book and the obsession, ambition, and guilt of the doctor (usually played by Peter Cushing). These films overflow with mournful music, overwrought Victorian décor and costumes, lusty characters, and decidedly more disfigured, wrathful monsters--all amplified by a highly artificial, gruesome color palette that makes even a glimpse of blood into a horrifying experience.

Hammer Horror: A Frankenstein Septet is presented in conjunction with It's Alive! Frankenstein at 200, a visual history of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, at The Morgan Library and Museum October 12, 2018-January 27, 2019.

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THE LION IN WINTER screening - 10/27 at Lake Placid Film Festival in NY

The Adirondack Film Society is proud to announce a special guest appearance by TCM contributor and author, Jeremy Arnold as part of the 2018 Lake Placid Film Festival, scheduled for October 26-28 in Lake Placid, NY.

For the program, Jeremy has selected "The Lion in Winter", celebrating it's 50 Anniversary this year. He will introduce the film providing insights and observations about this landmark work featuring Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton, and why this "essential" film "matters". Jeremy is the author of "The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter", published in 2016 as the companion to TCM's Essentials series. "It is certainly essential, and it has been shown on Turner Classic Movies as part of the "Essentials" series, but it's also one of thirty classic films I profile in my new TCM book, "Christmas in the Movies: 30 Classics to Celebrate the Season.", comments Jeremy. "It's not usually thought of as a "Christmas film," but if you look at it through that prism, it certainly fits. It has one of the most common Christmas-movie plots: a dysfunctional family reuniting over the holiday period. It doesn't matter that it's also a historical drama set in France -- a period piece with period costumes. At heart, it's about family tensions, which the holiday season only exacerbates." "We are thrilled with this year's classic film choice by Jeremy," comments Adirondack Film Society Vice Chairman, Nelson Page. He continues, "The Lion in Winter" is one of those films that they just don't make any more. The actors have amazing chemistry on screen, where each performance shines and the dialogue crackles with unusual intensity. Not only is this film an "Essential", but a must see. Jeremy has made a wonderful programming choice which reflects how great films were made and why they are timeless."

Jeremy is a son of Lake Placid, so it is more like a homecoming for all of us. In a recent interview, when asked why he keeps coming back to our event, he told Nelson "I've spent at least part of every summer of my life in Lake Placid, and trips to the Palace Theater are indelible memories. There's something very American about the way the theater marquee dominates Main Street; it makes going there feel like you're venturing to the center of the community in a way, and that movies are physically bringing people together. It sure says something that Lake Placid still even has its jewel of a theater. Most towns of this size don't anymore, and that reflects the area's affection for movies, that residents have been eager to keep supporting the Palace over the decades. Finally, I enjoy the diverse offerings at each year's film festival: new features, documentaries, classics, shorts. As an avid filmgoer, I want it all!"

The Lake Placid Film Festival will offer another classic "The Heiress" (1949), directed by academy award winner, William Wyler. Our fest goers are in for a real treat at 6:30 Friday night, October 26th at the Palace Theatre. William Wyler's daughter and independent producer of film and television, Catherine Wyler will introduce the film and be joined by Kathleen Carroll, Artistic Director of the Lake Placid Film Festival for a conversation with the audience following the screening. Kathleen will be honored at a "Tribute Gala" presented by the Adirondack Film Society on Thursday, October 25th at the High Peaks Resort, Lake Placid at 6:00pm, for her invaluable direction and contributions to our organization since 2000.

If you are a lover of classic films, you will want to learn even more in Jeremy's books, DVD commentaries or by tuning in to TCM's streaming service, FilmStruck. Also, make sure you tune in the first weekend of this December to TCM as Jeremy will present four Christmas movies from his new book.

We invite everyone to join us for Jeremy's special presentation of "The Lion in Winter", which will kick-off our Saturday evening at the Palace Theatre, October 27th at 6:30pm. In addition to the introduction, he will host a Q&A following the film. Jeremy has become an annual favorite for festival audiences. For additional information please visit
www.lakeplacidfilmfestival.org.